During Pentecost celebrations in Arraiolos, Portugal, in May 2018, Master Antonio Paris, in the presence of his Chancellor and Seneschal, sign the Declaration of Arraiolos, effectively resuming the term for which he had been elected in 2004, in order to prepare the free, universal and transparent elections of a new Master and the unity of the Order.

In the same Declaration, Master Antonio Paris made three new appointments to his Magisterial Council:

Sister Patricia Oyarzun, Cabinet Secretary to the Master

Fr+ Vinko Lisec, Prior of Croatia, Advisor and President of the Committee on Electoral Procedure

Fr+ Luis Fonseca, Episcopo Christophorus de Lusignan, Chaplain

After 2007, when Master Antonio Paris suspended his term in office due to personal health problems and professional commitments with his local government, where he has taken a few official leadership positions, the Chancellor Fr+ Luis de Matos organized new elections, according to the Rules of the Order. Please see the article in the Templar Globe about that subject.

At the end of the term, no candidates presented candidatures. It was decidade by the Magisterial Council that the Chancellor would also assume the role of Interin Master and prepare the needded background work to call new elections. In the folowing years several Priories left the Order, leaving only two possible candidates for the position and very few voting members. The OSMTHU prides itself of always holding free universal elections audited by independent partners. The Magisterial Council prepared new elections throughout 2016 and 2017, however the strict rules for candidacy (among them the requirement that candidates to the Mastership must have served as elected national Priors) determined that no suitable candidates presented themselves.

Currently, the Order maintains as Master Fr+ Antonio Paris that will finish his term of election after the Declaration of Arraiolos and Fr+ Luis de Matos, who was Interim Master between 2007 and 2018, returns to his position as Chancellor of the Magisterial Council.

Master Emeritus Fernando de Toro-Garland (left in the photo) passed away in June 2017.

Type “Holy Grail” into Google and … well, you probably don’t need me to finish that sentence. The sheer multiplicity of what any search engine throws up demonstrates that there is no clear consensus as to what the Grail is or was. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of people out there claiming to know its history, true meaning and even where to find it.

Modern authors, perhaps most (in)famously Dan Brown, offer new interpretations and, even when these are clearly and explicitly rooted in little more than imaginative fiction, they get picked up and bandied about as if a new scientific and irrefutable truth has been discovered. The Grail, though, will perhaps always eschew definition. But why?

The first known mention of a Grail (“un graal”) is made in a narrative spun by a 12th century writer of French romance, Chrétien de Troyes, who might reasonably be referred to as the Dan Brown of his day – though some scholars would argue that the quality of Chrétien’s writing far exceeds anything Brown has so far produced.

Chrétien’s Grail is mystical indeed – it is a dish, big and wide enough to take a salmon, that seems capable to delivering food and sustenance. To obtain the Grail requires asking a particular question at the Grail Castle. Unfortunately, the exact question (“Whom does the Grail serve?”) is only revealed after the Grail quester, the hapless Perceval, has missed the opportunity to ask it. It seems he is not quite ready, not quite mature enough, for the Grail.

But if this dish is the “first” Grail, then why do we now have so many possible Grails? Indeed, it is, at turns, depicted as the chalice of the Last Supper or of the Crucifixion or both, or as a stone containing the elixir of life, or even as the bloodline of Christ. And this list is hardly exhaustive. The reason most likely has to do with the fact that Chrétien appears to have died before completing his story, leaving the crucial questions as to what the Grail is and means tantalisingly unanswered. And it did not take long for others to try to answer them for him.

Robert de Boron, a poet writing within 20 or so years of Chrétien (circa 1190-1200), seems to have been the first to have associated the Grail with the cup of the Last Supper. In Robert’s prehistory of the object, Joseph of Arimathea took the Grail to the Crucifixion and used it to catch Christ’s blood. In the years that followed (1200-1230), anonymous writers of prose romances fixated upon the Last Supper’s Holy Chalice and made the Grail the subject of a quest by various knights of King Arthur’s court. In Germany, by contrast, the knight and poet Wolfram von Eschenbach reimagined the Grail as “Lapsit exillis” – an item more commonly referred to these days as the “Philosopher’s Stone”.

None of these is anything like Chrétien’s Grail, of course, so we can fairly ask: did medieval audiences have any more of a clue about the nature of the Holy Grail than we do today?

Publishing the Grail

My recent book delves into the medieval publishing history of the French romances that contain references to the Grail legend, asking questions about the narratives’ compilation into manuscript books. Sometimes, a given text will be bound alongside other types of texts, some of which seemingly have nothing to do with the Grail whatsoever. So, what sorts of texts do we find accompanying Grail narratives in medieval books? Can this tell us anything about what medieval audiences knew or understood of the Grail?

The picture is varied, but a broad chronological trend is possible to spot. Some of the few earliest manuscript books we still have see Grail narratives compiled alone, but a pattern quickly appears for including them into collected volumes. In these cases, Grail narratives can be found alongside historical, religious or other narrative (or fictional) texts. A picture emerges, therefore, of a Grail just as lacking in clear definition as that of today.

Perhaps the Grail served as a useful tool that could be deployed in all manner of contexts to help communicate the required message, whatever that message may have been. We still see this today, of course, such as when we use the phrase “The Holy Grail of…” to describe the practically unobtainable, but highly desirable prize in just about any area you can think of. There is even a guitar effect-pedal named “holy grail”.

Once the prose romances of the 13th century started to appear, though, the Grail took on a proper life of its own. Like a modern soap opera, these romances comprised vast reams of narrative threads, riddled with independent episodes and inconsistencies. They occupied entire books, often enormous and lavishly illustrated, and today these offer evidence that literature about the Grail evaded straightforward understanding and needed to be set apart – physically and figuratively. In other words, Grail literature had a distinctive quality – it was, as we might call it today, a genre in its own right.

In the absence of clear definition, it is human nature to impose meaning. This is what happens with the Grail today and, according to the evidence of medieval book compilation, it is almost certainly what happened in the Middle Ages, too. Just as modern guitarists use their “holy grail” to experiment with all kinds of sounds, so medieval writers and publishers of romance used the Grail as an adaptable and creative instrument for conveying a particular message to their audience, the nature of which could be very different from one book to the next.

Whether the audience always understood that message, of course, is another matter entirely.

Their code of conduct was designed to keep the warrior-knights humble, chaste and—most of all—obedient.

How often do we get a nitty-gritty view into the daily life of a medieval knight—one based on fact and not misty mythology?

The Templars, founded in 1119 as a band of poor, pious knights, have been romantically reimagined in art, literature, film and folklore for centuries. The fact that they were shockingly villainized and disbanded in 1307—after a dizzying rise to wealth and power—only added to their legendary mystique.

But the brotherhood did leave its share of concrete historic record. Perhaps most fascinating: “The Rule of the Templars,” which outlined a detailed code of conduct governing every aspect of daily life, including clothing (spartan), meals (mostly silent), sleeping arrangements (austere), social restrictions (ample). There’s a good-sized section on penance, which was especially important for maintaining the order’s all-important discipline. The first draft, composed in 1129, dictated 68 rules designed to keep Templar knights on a tight leash, reflecting their vows of poverty, chastity and especially obedience. As the order grew bigger, more wealthy and more militarized, its disciplinary code expanded to several hundred rules and became increasingly complex.

Written in Latin and French by various authors over the course of a century and a half, the original rules documents no longer exist. But they are known through subsequent translations.

And what happened to knights when the rules weren’t followed? According to the code, comeuppance ranged from corporal punishment to losing one’s habit (knight’s robes) to banishment from the brotherhood. Lesser infractions sometimes required the sinner to eat his meals on the floor.

Below, a few of the more notable Templar rules:

MEALTIME

Two to a bowl
*Because of the shortage of bowls, the brothers will eat in pairs, so that one may study the other more closely, and so that neither austerity nor secret abstinence is introduced into the communal meal. And it seems just to us that each brother should have the same ration of wine in his cup.

Meat in moderation
*It should be sufficient for you to eat meat three times a week, except at Christmas, All Saints, the Assumption, and the feast of the twelve apostles. For it is understood that the custom of eating flesh corrupts the body.

No leaving the table—unless it’s a real emergency
*If the brothers are eating at table and any of them suffers a nosebleed, or the war cry is raised, or there is a fire or the horses are unsettled, to avoid harm to the house, they may get up from the table without permission, for all these things, and then return to eating at the table if they wish.

When in the proverbial doghouse, eat on the floor
*While a brother is on penance…when he eats, he should sit on the ground before the household.

Napkin use: It’s complicated
*On Good Friday, all the brothers should fast on bread and water and eat without a napkin; moreover, the tables should be washed before the bread is put on them; and brothers of the Temple should eat without a napkin on no other day unless it is in penance on the floor, for then should eat on a piece of his mantle and without a napkin.

FASHION WITHOUT FINERY

Wearing chastity on your sleeve
*All brothers’ habits should always be of one color, that is, white or black or brown. And we grant all knight brothers in winter and in summer, if possible, white cloaks…so that those who have abandoned the life of darkness will recognize each other to being reconciled to their creator by the sign of the white habits: which signifies purity and complete chastity.

Keeping it humble
*These robes should be without finery and without any show of pride…No brother will have a piece of fur on his clothes…And if any brother out of feeling of pride or arrogance wishes to have as his due a better and finer habit, let him be given the worst.

Forbidden footwear
*We prohibit pointed shoes and shoe-laces and forbid any brother to wear them… For it is manifest and well known that these abominable things belong to pagans.

Warm-weather alternatives
*Among the other things, we mercifully rule that, because of the great intensity of the heat which exists in the East, from Easter to All Saints, through compassion and in no way as right, a linen shirt shall be given to any brother who wishes to wear it.

The well-dressed head
*No brother may wear a hood on his head. No brother may wear a coif without a cloth cap.

Of horses, humility and hand-me-downs
*We utterly forbid any brother to have gold or silver on his bridle, nor on his stirrups, nor on his spurs. If it happens that a harness is given to him in charity which is so old that the gold or silver is tarnished, that the resplendent beauty is not seen by others nor taken pride in them: then he may have them.

Take care of it…or lose it
*No brother should hang his mantle round his bed on hooks, for each brother is obliged to honor his habit.

*If a brother tears or gives back his habit willingly, he should not recover it for a year and a day.

BEST TO PRETEND THAT WOMEN DON’T EXIST

Watch out for the ladies
*The company of women is a dangerous thing, for by it the old devil has led many from the straight path to Paradise. Henceforth, let not ladies be admitted into the house of the Temple, that is why, very dear brothers, henceforth it is not fitting to follow this custom, that the flower of chastity is always maintained among you.

Even mom and dear aunt Heloise
*We believe it to be a dangerous thing for any religious to look too much upon the face of woman. For this reason none of you may presume to kiss a woman, be it widow, young girl, mother, sister, aunt or any other; and henceforth the Knighthood of Jesus Christ should avoid at all costs the embraces of women, by which men have perished many times, so that they may remain eternally before the face of God with a pure conscience and sure life.

They meant it
*If a brother is found guilty of lying with a woman, and we hold guilty the brother who is found in a wicked place or in a wicked house with a wicked woman, he may not keep the habit and so he should be put in irons, nor shall he ever carry the piebald banner or take part in the election of a Master.

Don’t even talk about the fairer sex
*We prohibit and firmly forbid any brother to recount to another brother nor to anyone else….the pleasures of the flesh that he has had with immoral women; and if it happens that he hears them told by another brother, he should immediately silence him; and if he cannot do this, he should straightaway leave that place and not give his heart’s ear to the pedlar of filth.

Kids? Avoid them too
*We forbid all brothers henceforth to dare to raise children over the font and none should be ashamed to refuse to be godfathers or godmothers; this shame brings more glory than sin.

IT’S THE MASTER’S WORLD, AND A BROTHER IS JUST LIVING IN IT.

Jesus hearts a well-behaved brother
*In order to carry out their holy duties and gain the glory of the Lord’s joy and to escape the fear of hell-fire, it is fitting that all brothers who are professed strictly obey their Master. For nothing is dearer to Jesus Christ than obedience.

Master, may I have a bath?
*No brother may bathe, let blood, take medicine, go into town or ride a horse without permission.

On a tight leash…even for small adjustments
*No brother may shorten his stirrup leathers, nor his girth, nor his sword belt, nor his breech-girdle without permission; but he may adjust his buckle without permission.

Ask first before using straps
*No brother should carry his hauberk (chainmail tunic) or his iron hose in a bag, neither in a guarelle nor in a profinel, but he should carry it in a leather or wire mesh bag; moreover, he should not hang the wire mesh bag by the straps in order to carry his hauberk, but he should carry it in his hand for as long as he or a sergeant can each hold it; and with permission he may hold it or hang it by the straps.

Careful with that gear
*No brother may throw his lance without permission, nor may he repair his sword without permission, nor his chapeau de fer (wide-brimmed helmet), nor his coat of mail, nor throw his chapeau de fer.

Here today…gone tomorrow…deal with it
*The Master shall give to whomsoever he pleases the horse and armor and whatever he likes of another brother, and the brother to whom the given thing belongs should not become vexed or angry: for be certain that if he becomes angry he will go against God.

Keeping outside influences at bay
*Without the consent of the Master or of his commander, let no brother have letters from his relative or any other person; but if he has permission, and if it please the Master or the commander, the letters may be read to him.

Poverty isn’t just a concept
*None may carry or keep money without permission. When a brother asks any brother…for money to buy something, he should buy as soon as possible that for which he asks it, and he may not buy anything else without permission.

You can’t take it with you anyway
*If it happens that a brother dies, and money is found on him, in his habit or night clothes or in his pouch, it will be considered his and stolen. And these wicked brothers should not be buried with the other good brothers who have gone from this world, nor should they be placed in hallowed ground, and the brothers are not obliged to say paternosters for them, nor to perform the office that they should perform for a dead brother; but they should have him buried like a slave.

Fixer-uppers okay
*If a brother builds a new house of stone or lime without the permission of the Master or of the Commander of the Land, the habit is at the discretion of the brothers, whether to take it from him or let him keep it. But other ruined houses he may repair without permission.

SLEEPING

Beware brothers in the dark
*And if possible, the house where they sleep and take lodging should not be without light at night, so that shadowy enemies may not lead them to wickedness, which God forbids them.

Expect major penance…
*If a brother is tainted with the filthy, stinking sin of sodomy, which is so filthy and so stinking and so repugnant that it should not be named.

Maybe it’s best to bundle up at bedtime
*You should always sleep in a shirt and breeches and in woolen hose, and belted with a small belt; and you should have on your bed three pieces of linen, that is to say a bag in which to put straw and two sheets, and in place of one sheet you may have a light blanket if the Draper wishes to give it to you.

THE WELL-BEHAVED WARRIOR

Charge in battle only with a commander’s say-so
*If a brother who is in battle charges without permission, and harm comes of it, the habit is at the discretion of the brothers, whether to take it from him or let him keep it. But if he sees a Christian in peril of death, and his conscience tells him that he can help him, he may do so. But in no circumstances should a brother of the Temple charge without permission.

Beware banner infractions
*If a brother of the Temple who carries the banner in battle lowers it in order to strike, and no harm comes of it, the habit is at the discretion of the brothers, whether to take it from him or let him keep it. And if he strikes with it and harm comes of it, he may not keep his habit, and so it may be decided to put him in irons; he may never carry the banner or be a commander in battle

Save a life? Fine, keep quiet
*And if it happens by chance that any Christian acts foolishly, and any Turk attacks him in order to kill him, and he is in peril of death, and anyone who is in that area wishes to leave his squadron to help him, and his conscience tells him that he can assist him, he may do so without permission, then return to his squadron quietly and in silence.

ON THE ROAD

Holy relics need special attention
*When the True Cross is transported by horse, the Commander of Jerusalem and the ten knights should guard it day and night, and should camp as near to the True Cross as they can for as long as the journey lasts; and each night two brothers should keep watch over the True Cross; and if it happens that camp is established, everyone should lodge with the convent.

Staying within bell range
*When the brothers are in camp they should not go out for pleasure without permission, except as far as they can hear the call or the bell, nor even to their dwellings, except as far as they can hear the bell. Nor may they even carry any baggage on their horses, near or far, without permission.

No rogue hunting
*And let it be known that the brother should not search for any food except what is given communally, except green vegetables from the fields, or fish if they know how to catch them themselves, or wild animals if they know how to take them without hunting, in such a way that they do not transgress the commandments of the house.

Share with your neighbor
*Each brother may give some of the food in front of him to the other brothers around him, as far as he can stretch his arm, but no farther; and always he who has the best should invite the one who has the worst.

GENERAL DEMEANOR

A head held high
*Each brother should strive to live honestly and to set a good example to secular people and other orders in everything, in such as way that those who see him cannot notice anything bad in his behavior, not in his riding, nor in his walking, nor in his drinking, nor in eating nor in his look, nor in any of actions and work. And especially should each brother strive to conduct himself humbly and honestly when he hears the office of Our Lord.

Brothers should be seen…
*When the brothers come out of compline (night prayers) they have no permission to speak openly except in an emergency. But let each go to his bed quietly and in silence.

Stick it out at chapel
*Each brother is required to hear the hours in their entirety, and no brother should leave the chapel until these hours are finished, except for a task which he cannot avoid, or if he goes in search of the one who has the place next to him in the chapel, whom he should seek if he has not come when the office is begun, and so he should look for him at least in his bed or with his horses.

OF SLAVES AND SQUIRES

Note to squires: Be charitable
*To each knight brother we grant three horses and one squire, and if that squire willingly serves charity, the brother should not beat him for any sin he commits.

Beat, yes; maim, no
*No craftsman brother, neither one from the prison, nor any other, should strike a slave in such a way that he places irons round his neck without permission, if he has deserved it; none should should put him in a pillory nor pierce him with a sword without permission; but he should beat him and may without permission with a leather strap if he has deserved it, but he should take care not to maim him.

PASTTIMES

Gambling (without money, of course)
*None should place a wager, not on a horse nor anything else, except an arrow without iron, or anything else which does not cost him or anyone else money, like an open lantern, or wooden mallet, or camping or tent pegs….And each brother of the Temple may wager against another brother, with his crossbow, ten pieces of candle without permission, but no more.

Board games banned
*No brother should play chess, backgammon or eschaçons.

CHARITY

The paupers’ feet
*Wherever the Master is on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter), he should wash the feet of 13 paupers, and should give to each of them shirt and breeches, two loaves of bread, two deniers and a pair of shoes. And if he is in a place where he does not have them, when he comes to the first of the house of the Temple where he has them, he should give them, for love of God.

Clean them til they’re kissable
*And the brother should wash the paupers’ feet and dry them with the towels, and afterwards kiss their feet humbly. And let it be known that the Almoner should ensure that those paupers who are to be washed do not have any vile disease on their feet or legs; for perhaps it could bring illness to a brother’s body.

INFRACTIONS AND PENANCE

Taking to the floor
*Of all the brothers who are given a penance in the presence of the Master, none may rise from the floor unless he is raised by him; and the brothers may pardon them from manual labor and fasting, but may not raise them from the floor and Friday fasting.

Toe the line or else
*If a brother refuses to carry out the commandment of the house and persists in the folly and does not wish to carry out the commandments he has been given, the habit should be taken from him and should be put in irons.

No cross for you!
*When a brother is on penance….he should work with the slaves, and when he eats he should sit on the ground before the household and eat of their food, and always wear a cope (heavy hooded cloak) without a cross.

Hands off the brothers
*If a brother lays his hands on another brother out of anger or wrath, he should not keep his habit; and if the blow is serious, he may be put in irons.

Or a fellow Christian
*Whoever strikes a Christian man or woman with a sharp weapon, or with a stone or staff, or anything a blow from which could kill or wound him, the habit is at the mercy of the brothers.

Going AWOL
*If a brother leaves the house and sleeps two nights outside the house, he loses his habit, and he may not recover it for a year and a day. And if he keeps the things which are forbidden, more than two nights, he is expelled from the house.

The 18 – 20 May 2018 the Priory of Portugal will host a three day event that includes Conferences, Debates and a full Adoubement Ceremony with Vigil and Pentecost Benedictio Militia.

Templars from any branch of the Order are invited. Most activities (except the Vigil and short private section of the ceremony) are opened to the public, subject to pre-registration. All are welcome. More details (place, times, registration, etc.) upon request.

FAQ

Q: Who is organizing this Event?
A: The Priory of Portugal of the OSMTHU

Q: Who is the OSMTHU?
A: A branch of the Palaprat Templar Order (1804) that is organized in Autonomous Priories since 1945. You can check the provenance here: https://templarsosmthu.wordpress.com/structure-and-provena…/

Q: Is this the Templar Order of the Middle Ages or a (the) right descendant lineage of that Order?
A: No. There is no such thing. The history of the Templars is fascinating, but one thing is sure: after over 900 years of its foundation and 700 years after its suspension, no single group can make such a claim with any degree of truth. There were pockets of survival at the time and we do study what became of the Order and its project across Europe, but any claim of continuity from any group should be regarded with extreme caution.

Q: So, why are you using the Order’s name and symbols?
A: For the same reason that we still have the Olympics today. For the same reason modern Universities, Academies and other Institutions draw on their Greek and Roman predecessors: the spirit is alive and the values they stood for are still valid and very much in need in today’s world. There is no linear historical flow, but the spiritual connection and ideals can be mastered and put to use. Our Order has been doing so for over 200 years and our branch for over half a century. It’s not likely we’ll stop now!

Q: Is this connected with Freemasonry?
A: No. Freemasonry is a fraternal Order that has no direct link to the 1804 revival of the Templar Order by Palaprat.

Q: I have joined the Templars in a branch different from yours. Can I attend the event?
A: Yes. We accept Registration to the Event by every Knight or Dame that can attest affiliation to a Templar inspired Order, such as OSMTJ, OSMTH, OCMTJ, OSTI, OCE, OVDT, CBCS, KT, OSMA, etc.

Q: But I am not active at the moment. Can I still attend?
A: Once Chivalry is duly transmitted, it remains active in oneself if the values are kept. We don’t want to know about current membership status in any Order. Membership is a private matter for each individual. We only need to validate that Chivalry was transmitted so that we can open the access to the private part of the ceremony to those who wish to attend it.

Q: I am not a member of any Templar Order. Can I attend?
A: The general public can Register and attend the Event. The only exception is part of the Vigil (that starts around 9pm on Saturday and ends around 8am the next morning). New Knights and Dames need to be secluded and in silence and meditation during that period. The ceremony ends with the doors of the church opened to the public and the celebration of Mass and Eucharist at 9am on Sunday.

Q: Apart from the Ceremony, what else will take place?
A: There will be a Conference and Debate on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, with several guests speaking on “Conflict and the Notion of the Just War”. There will be a Gala Lunch on Saturday where attendees, members and invited guests, will network and get to know each other. The start of the Vigil, around 6pm and up to 9pm will take place in the church and will be opened to the public. Doors close at 9pm and only Knights and Dames may remain then. Doors will reopen at 9am on Sunday allowing the public to witness the completion of the Ceremony and Mass. In all, there are three days of conferences, debates, talks and ceremonies.

Q: I’m not a member of a Templar Order. Can I become a Knight (or Dame) during the Event?
A: No. The Pentecost Benedictio Militis is a ceremony that closes a cycle that was opened when the members that are going to be Knighted were received as Novices quite a while ago. The Order is not accepting novices during Pentecost.

Q: Where will the Event take place?
A: It will take place In the country of Portugal, in a small medieval village relatively close to the capital, Lisbon.

Q: Why don’t you disclose the location?
A: To avoid unwanted attention in a very special spiritual occasion, the location is only disclosed to Registered participants. The Event will take place in a village conveniently accessible from the main Portuguese airport, featuring good accommodation and historically rich surroundings.

Q: What language will be used during the Event?
A: Portuguese and English.

Q: How much does it cost to attend?
A: Further information should be requested via email to osmthu@mail.com

Paddy Houlihan from Ballybeg is maintaining and promoting an almost forgotten site of significant historic interest – the Knights Templar Graveyard, Kilbarry.

AN IMPORTANT piece of Waterford’s history and heritage is being preserved and promoted thanks to the Trojan efforts of one local man and his granddaughter.

In a fantastic display of community spirit and pride of place, Paddy Houlihan from Ballybeg Square embarked on a project to improve the condition of the Knights Templar Graveyard in Kilbarry some years ago.

Paddy had become increasingly concerned for the condition of the graveyard which is located near Lacken Road Business Park and Templars Hall.

The Knights Templar were an international military order set up to protect pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land.

They arrived in Ireland in the late 1100s after the Norman invasion of 1169-71 and the witnessing of an Irish charter by Matthew the Templar in 1177.

They fell out of favour with the King of France in 1307, were persecuted on the continent and closed down in England and Ireland.

Their estates were handed over to their rivals, the Knights Hospitaller, but Kilbarry was one of three preceptories in Ireland retained for the Templars for the remainder of their lives.

The remains of the church of St Barry are located within the Kilbarry Knights Templar Graveyard.
Beside the church, a row of mortared stone buildings with slate roofs were located along with a row of large wooden buildings, probably barns.

Records show that the church, which was located on a slope overlooking a tidal marsh that extended to the River Suir, was in good repair until 1615 when it was still in use and serving the parish. The earliest headstone in the graveyard dates back to 1598 and the latest is dated 1856.

The graveyard lay more or less idle since the mid-1800s and, in the modern era, was believed by many to have been a famine graveyard.

Paddy Houlihan says many local people, including himself and his family, have many fond memories of playing in the area. He recalls the graveyard being a favourite location in which to explore with his brothers and sisters when growing up. “Everybody around this side of the city played in the area,” he explained.

In recent years, Paddy became concerned because of the huge growths of ivy throughout the graveyard, the high grass growths, and the many overhanging trees.

Along with his granddaughter Katie (his trusted sidekick and ‘Project Manager’), they spent countless hours engaging in efforts to clean-up the graveyard. More than 40 headstones/tombstones are located in the graveyard and, during the duo’s work, five tombstones were uncovered which had been hidden in the undergrowth. All of the names on the stones have now been recorded, and the graveyard’s condition has improved immensely.

The Bible offers a pretty comprehensive answer to the question ‘WWJD?’: what would Jesus do? But, as Christians observe Easter and the Last Supper another question arises: what would jesus drink?

To answer this question, the location and timing of the final meal that Jesus had with his disciples before he was crucified is key. And three of four of the accounts of Jesus’ life in the Bible – known as the Gospels – suggest that it took place on the last Thursday celebration of Passover in around AD 30, Father Daniel Kendall, Professor of Theology and Scripture at the University of San Francisco told wine app Vivino.

“Unlike John the Baptist, Jesus drank wine,” explains Father Kendall, adding: “From the descriptions it was most likely a Seder meal. Since it was and is the most important of Jewish feasts, wine would have been part of the festivities.”

While grape varieties may not have been named and identified as they are now, wine had been made in this part of the Middle East since around 4000 BC.

Archaeological evidence suggests that around the time of the last supper, rich, concentrated wines were popular, says Dr Patrick McGovern, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania and director of Biomolecular Archaeology Project for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages and Health at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia.

In Judah more specifically – near Jerusalem where the Last Supper is said to have taken place – archaeologists have found a jar inscribed with: “wine made from black raisins”. This means that winemakers may have used grapes dried on the vine or in the sun on mats to create sweet, thick drinks. At sites nearby in the region, jars labelled “smoked wine” and “very dark wine” have also been found.

While it was common to water down wine at the time, there was a taste in Jerusalem for rich, concentrated wine, according to Dr McGovern.

Spices and fruits – including pomegranates, mandrakes, saffron and cinnamon – were used to flavour such wines, and tree resin were added to help preserve them. So, the wine drank at the Last Supper, then, might resemble the mulled wine some of us drink at Christmas.

Today, comparable bottles would include Amarone, which is made in Northern Italy with grapes dried on straw mats.

While it’s unclear exactly which wine Jesus drank at the last supper, Dr McGovern jokes: “If someone can find me the Holy Grail and send it to my lab, we could analyse it and tell you.”

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Novidade: Rotas Templárias

Curso Livre – Templários e Templarismo – Universidade Lusófona

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